Where the Forest Ends and the Flesh Begins

size: 38 x 27.2 cm ( about 15 x 10 3/4″ )
medium: cut paper on illustration board
click here or the image for a more titanic tiger

Each new year is a time of renewal, a clean slate where the previous year’s missteps have been scratched out to make way for hopes, plans, schemes and triumphs. Who better to lead us out of the dark than the fearsome tiger.

Of course, the trick with a beastie as temperamental and finicky as the tiger is to know whether it’s leading you into the light or pouncing on you from the inky shadows.

One year ago, I waxed and whined about how weird it was to use cut paper to mimic another medium (in direct opposition to my cardinal rule of paper cuttery). Well, I still feel a little awkward faking sumi-e, but I really liked the result so I decided to try it again. This time, I tried to take it even further, playing around with different shades of grey (and some truly cool new papers) for the bamboo. The tiger’s outside line also got nixed, playing up the natural camouflage /positive/negative aspect that makes this cat so cool.

Fun Fact: If I start making a piece before coming up with a title, I often nickname the art something I can remember. Usually something that makes me giggle. This one was called “TiggerTwo”, as in “Winnie the Pooh and…”.

Here’s the original, full-color From the Bamboo Forests of the Night. Let me know which one you like better!

(Oh, and here’re last year’s moo-cows: On the Mountain’s Top, A Forest of Green and The Simplicity of the Path, The Fortitude to Keep to It for comparison’s sake).